Revisiting the Penguins & Panthers’ McCann-Bjugstad Trade

Florida Panthers general manager (GM) Dale Tallon made a late-season move on Feb. 1 ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, shipping Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann to acquire Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, and three draft picks. This trade shifted the direction of the Panthers organization and represented a pivot for Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford to bring in some younger roster players as well.

Nick Bjugstad With the Panthers:

After being selected 19th overall in the first round of the 2010 Draft, Bjugstad played with the Panthers for a while, made an impact, and became a serviceable part of the 2010s era of Panthers hockey. While with the team, he played parts of seven seasons and appeared in 394 games. In that span, he tallied 87 goals and 104 assists for 191 points.

He finished his Panthers tenure with a minus-49 and racked up 176 penalty minutes. During his time in Florida, he also recorded 43 power-play points and averaged 15:21 of ice time per game. With the Panthers, he also posted a faceoff percentage of 49.4.

Throughout his stay with the club, he was an important contributor from the time he was drafted through his development as a young player in the NHL. He went on to have a successful NHL career with several stops.

Nick Bjugstad With the Penguins:

After being dealt from the Panthers, Bjugstad spent portions of two seasons with the Penguins. Over that stretch, he played 45 games and registered 10 goals and six assists for 16 points. He wrapped up his Penguins tenure with a plus-7 rating and added a physical presence, with 22 penalty minutes. He also collected three points on the power play.

Jared McCann With the Panthers:

After the Panthers acquired him from the Vancouver Canucks in May 2016, McCann spent parts of three seasons with the Panthers as he found his footing as a high-end producer in the NHL. He played 143 games and recorded 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points. He finished his tenure with a plus-1 rating and added physicality with 52 penalty minutes. He also picked up five power-play points.

Jared McCann With the Penguins:

With the Penguins, McCann played 141 games and recorded 39 goals and 45 assists for 84 points across parts of three seasons. He concluded his tenure in Pittsburgh with a plus-31 rating and 38 penalty minutes. He also produced 16 power-play points and placed 35th in Lady Byng Trophy voting during the 2020-21 season.

Derick Brassard With the Panthers:

Joining the Panthers as a veteran center, Brassard spent only a short time with the organization, appearing in 10 games. Across those games, he managed one goal and three assists for four points. He finished his tenure with a minus-6 and accumulated two penalty minutes. On Feb. 25, he was moved to the Colorado Avalanche, with a conditional sixth-round pick for a third-round pick in the 2020 Draft.

Derick Brassard With the Penguins:

As a member of the Penguins, Brassard played in 54 games over two seasons, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He ended his Penguins tenure with a minus-5 rating and 33 penalty minutes. He was a useful depth contributor, playing up the middle in a defensive role.

Riley Sheahan With the Panthers:

Sheahan joined the Panthers to add a veteran presence down the middle. He appeared in 33 games and contributed two goals and eight assists for 10 points. He finished his tenure with a minus-2 and four penalty minutes. He played for the Panthers for the second half of the 2018-19 season and eventually left, signing with the Edmonton Oilers in September ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Riley Sheahan With the Penguins:

Over his two seasons with the Penguins, Sheahan appeared in 122 games. During that time, he recorded 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. He closed out his tenure as a minus-3 and contributed 17 penalty minutes. He even added two points on the power play. He was a valuable depth contributor during his stint in Pittsburgh.

2019 4th Round Picks:

The Panthers took both fourth-round picks from this trade and used them to move up to the third round of the 2019 Draft, selecting Cole Schwindt. He played in three games with the Panthers before being part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade that sent MacKenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau, and draft picks to the Calgary Flames.

He later returned to the Panthers after the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him off waivers, where he appeared in 29 games last season, tallying seven points.

The trade signaled the end of an era with two key pieces moving on from the Panthers, but it also allowed the next core group to begin. As time went on with some pieces changing, it allowed for a remarkably successful team to be built in South Florida.

While McCann is a highly productive player at this point in his career, he’s in the final year of his current contract; he could be a possible fit for a deadline reunion with the Panthers, depending on how the season goes for him, the Seattle Kraken, and the Panthers.